One Thing Right Chapter 2 | Wenrene

One Thing Right

Chapter 2

"No Way Out"

"Wendy, what were you thinking?" Her mom visited her after a few days being off from her job. It hasn't been a week and yet the news spread fast like a wild fire. 

It's not a secret though, it's just that she wanted some peace for a while that's why she was being quiet about it from her friends and family. She wanted to gain some freedom. Free from all kinds of stress that her work was giving her all those days. 

"Mom, I just wanted a break. That is all. There's no need for you to worry about me. I'll probably find a job after a month or so." Wendy explained a bit irritated. She's a grown up woman and yet her parents always wanted to be part of every decision she wanted to make. It's not that she doesn't want them to be a part of her life now that she's grown up, but sometimes she felt like her parents do not trust her at all. 

"You're just slacking off. Making excuses everytime. Always running away. When will you ever learn?" 

Those words again. She have heard that several times before and even though it's the nth time, the amount of pain it stung her did not differ. 

They say it's your family that will always and forever understand you, but it never felt like that for Wendy. She feels the opposite towards her parents. They just don't understand her at all, and eveything she did was just all wrong for them. 

Wendy does not know if she have depression or whatever mental illness there is. She never consulted a psychiatrist, but there was a time that everything just felt overwhelming in her head that she almost called for help. It was never easy to talk about whatever she's feeling or thinking to anyone because she's afraid that they would laugh at her or judge her that she's just slacking off just like what her family had been telling her. No one understands.

She doesn't even know if she could have a company from her friends list that would look at her without judgment either. Whenever she tried to subtly talk about her state, her so called friends were just clueless. And considering that they don't know anything means they won't ever understand anyways so what's the point of talking? 

Those were a few reasons why she became so closed off with the world. She became distant and she finds that  everything and everyone just doesn't care at all. It's like the world doesn't give a fuck about one because the world is busy and has its own problem to settle with. And being in a very corporate office environment where this kind of 'I don't give a fuck about you' feeling emanates from wasn't helping her at all. It's giving her more anxieties that she needed to be away from it. 

She doesn't know how or when it happened but she was able to absorb that feeling of not caring about anything in the world either. But that doesn't stop her brain from overthinking at all and that her heart was still fragile at every hurtful words thrown at her. 

"I am not, mom." Wendy answered with a poker face. 

"I don't know what to do with you anymore, Wendy. Do you want to go back to Canada?" 

That made the blonde lose it. "Mom, I told you I'm fine. If it's about money, I have enough to sustain myself. I won't get anything from you, dad or my sister, okay? And no, I won't go back to Canada with you." 

Her mother's flight going back to Canada was today. The Son family lived there. Her mother just visited Korea in order to work on some of their business branch here. She was sure that her mother wouldn't really care to visit her in her apartment, but not when she learned about her quitting her job. What made her curious about though, was how her mother got the news. Maybe through her private investigators always tailing her around? Who knows?

"Wendy, if you don't want to work your ass. Then just manage a few branches of our business here. That'll be easier for you." 

"Mom, please leave now or you won't be able to catch your flight. And seriously mom, please let me decide for my own life." 

"If I weren't in a hurry, I'll argue more about your future now. But we'll settle this later. Please Wendy, get a grip of your life. If you cannot follow your big sister's steps then do something in helping us in our family business."

And that ended their mother and daughter conversation. As usual, it didn't end well at all. Just like always.

--

Wendy went out of her apartment to go to the nearby cafe. She needed to be somewhere to cool her head. It's not like she hadn't argue with her mother before, but it's still really draining for Wendy to do so. As much as possible she wanted to refrain herself from answering disrespectfully to the elder. Even though bad things were occupying her mind now, the least she wanted was to hurt her family because of her own words. She's more than willing to just accept every judgmental words from her family than her spitting words to strike back. That's nowhere her personality.

As she goes out the apartment, like a de ja vu, Seulgi was about to go inside hers but this time without the spilling grocery bags.

"Oh. Hi, Wendy!" She smiled brightly, as expected. If Wendy did not recall what happened the other night with Seulgi's roommate then this second encounter wouldn't really have discomfort in the air.  Or was is just Wendy feeling that?

"Hey." She smiled back politely unsure of what else to say. Awkward.

"So, uh.. about the other night. I'm really sorry about that. It's just that my roommate is having a bad day and you know what happens to people when they had enough of things, right?" Seulgi was explaining to her and Wendy appreciated it. She could tell that the girl really wanted to be friends with her that she's trying to erase the bad memory from their first meeting. 

"Nah. It's okay. We all have bad days and bad roommates." She joked gaining a laughter from the other. 

"Where are you heading to right now?" 

"Just the nearby cafe. Wanna hang out?" Wendy hesitated but it's out of politeness, she needed to ask.

"Really?! That's great! I could finally see some other sight from this area!" Seulgi excitedly accepted the invitation but it kinda worried Wendy as she looked at her neighbor's door. Good thing, Seulgi caught her eyes and quickly answered. "Irene is not here but she'll be back by evening. Just her typical working shift."

Wendy sighed in relief.

 At the nearby cafe, Wendy ordered for green tea creme and Seulgi went for strawberry creme. They shared a slice of a red velvet cake since both insisted that they were not really hungry. 

"So what do you do for a living, Wendy?" Seulgi started the conversation while she bite some of the cake. 

"Well, I'm an architect but I just quit my office job last week.. so I'm more of a jobless bum now." Wendy said degrading herself. She's used to stab herself first with negative words before anyone can do so. She wasn't expecting anyone to say good things about her anyway.

Seulgi frowned. "You know, you shouldn't say such things to yourself. So what if you're out of office, you got a lot of time now for yourself. Don't you think that's something you should be enjoying?" 

Wendy studied the female across the table, not sure whether to take her comment seriously or she's just trying to be nice. 

"How about you? What do you do for a living?" 

"I'm an accountant. I'm just on leave today to finish a few things in my apartment. But my hobby is dancing! I really really love dancing." Seulgi responded with so much enthusiasm as she opened up about her hobby. It appeared that she wanted to talk more about her hobby than her boring job. "How about you? Any hobbies you do?"

"Well.." She hesitated, her cheeks forming a tint of red. "I sing."

"Whoah! Really?! Now that's what I'm talking about! I knew you're hiding something great about you!" 

Wendy did not expect that reaction but somehow, it made her really genuinely happy. She really likes singing, when she was in Canada studying she was really active in any music organizations and competitions. But when she started living on her own in Korea and work, she pushed the hobby behind. 

"I should request for you to sing for me the next time I invite you to my apartment." Seulgi smiled but when she saw Wendy's discomfort of the sudden invitation, she already knew what the blonde was thinking.

"You shouldn't be scared of Irene. I swear, she's really a nice person. It's just that, lately she has a lot on her plate that put her in a bad mood."

"Just like the other night?" 

"Yep. Just like that one." 

Then there was silence. For the first time Wendy was able to catch Seulgi's bright countenance turned into a distressed one. It suddenly felt like she zoned out after bringing the topic about that night.

"Uhm.. Seulgi, is everything okay?" Wendy tapped the other's hand bringing her back to reality.

Seulgi put her right elbow on the table with her palm placed on her cheek, she looked at Wendy. It made the blonde a bit confused but just waited for Seulgi to speak her mind first.

"Say, Wendy. Can you help me out?" 

Wendy gulped, unsure where this sudden favor will be directed. But since she was curious and a bit worried for her new friend, she accepted.

"S-sure."

"I'll be away for a week due to our team building." Seulgi started but somehow, for the first time she's hesitating. She sighed before continuing. "I'm really worried about my friend, Irene. She's not in a good health condition, mentally and emotionally lately. So.. I was wondering..." She looked at Wendy a bit apologetic.  "Can you look out for her while I'm away in a week?"

Wendy choked herself from her drink. Seulgi wants her to what? Take care of Irene for a week? She really wanted to act nice for her new friend by helping her out, but imagining herself to stay in contact with the woman that she decided to avoid due to their bad encounter that night was a bit too much. She wanted to decline right away.

"Uhm Seulgi, I'm sorry but--" before she even finished her disapproval, Seulgi pleaded this time.

"Wendy, I really am going to be grateful to you if you'll help me out on this. I know that we just got acquainted recently and that our bond is nowhere deep yet, but I really need your help. Please?" 

The way Seulgi pleaded to her was a bit worrying. Anyone can tell how desperate she was all of a sudden for her dear friend. Irene must be really important to this person. But why is she giving so much reaction over her like that anyway? Is she sick, dying or what? Wendy needs to know more.

"Just by looking at you, it seemed like Irene is not in a really good state. Why don't you ask help from a doctor, or tell her parents or advise some other closer friend that surely knows and care for Irene? And not me, who you just met recently. I'm a complete stranger, especially to your friend since we haven't really gotten acquainted properly at all." 

Seulgi sighed. She knows very well that she's being pushy now to Wendy. Of course, the other would think and feel like that but she doesn't know what to do. She can't say no to their team building since she already skipped that from last year and her team leader was very adamant when he says that he'll become disappointed to anyone who will skip the team building. But Irene's well being is important to her as well. She felt clueless what to do, and she's crying. 

"Oh my, I'm such a mess. I can't believe I'm crying in front of you now."

Seeing Seulgi with tears escaping her eyes caught Wendy off guard. She panicked and looked at the other customers around them if they were looking. Thank goodness that they minded their own business, she doesn't want to look like someone who made a girl cry anyway.

"Hey, calm down Seulgi. It's alright. I don't know what's happening really but calm down first and let's talk about it, okay?"  She reached out for the other girl's free hand to grasp. She waited patiently for the female to calm her nerves and gather her composure to speak again.

"Irene is pregnant."

Wendy does not know how it all happened at once to her. But these sudden revelations from her new acquainted person just made her want to faint. Seriously, she does not know how to sink that inside her brain. "S-she's what?!"

"I should not be telling this to anyone. But I know I could trust you right? I mean with the world where we're living, it's better to trust someone who you just met recently than those ones who knows you really well from the start. Do you agree with me?" 

"Yeah, I know what you are talking about with all the judgment and stuff, but seriously like I said before, you should really choose people who you talk with." Wendy wanted her companion to calm down but processing all that's happening in front of her just made it impossible. How can this female trust her all so suddenly? How is she going to react on that anyway? Can she just run away?

"I understand what you are saying. But we're new in this place and we do not know anyone except you, our neighbor. Also, this news is not something we can really talk about inside our circle of friends. And it's impossible to open that news to her parents as well, coz surely they won't take the news very well considering how conservative Irene's parents were." She paused for a while and looked at Wendy as if telling her that everything she blurted out are all confidential and can only be for her information only. "And please don't ask about the father of the baby. He's an asshole." She fumed.

As much as Wendy wanted to learn more about this, she respected the privacy and the confidentiality of the situation. Besides, she could already feel how Seulgi was having a hard time to really tell all these things to her. She wasn't doing this to get sympathy, but she wanted to genuinely let Wendy know how much she really needed a hand on this. To Wendy, Seulgi was a very kind person who's willing to do anything for someone special but the gravity of the information she's carrying with Irene was something very massive. And considering how complicated the situation was, she understood now why Seulgi was risking like this to someone she just met. Seulgi was in need of a real help for her dear friend, and she decided to reach out to Wendy.

"Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone about this. Your secret is safe with me." Wendy reassured to which made Seulgi smile out of gratefulness. "And I'll help you. I won't ask anything further about this information but at least tell me how many weeks or months has it been? And how critical is Irene?" She gulped unsure whether what she's doing was the right thing at all.

"She's 2 weeks pregnant. She just found out the day after that night you saw her fuming over the phone." Wendy can only look at the other girl as if carefully absorbing everything not wanting to over react that may lead to misunderstanding. She doesn't wanted to easily judge something as complicated as this.

"The thing is, Irene is unsure whether she wanted the baby or not." Seulgi sighed and made Wendy stand up after hearing that. 

"What?!"

"Hey now it's your turn to calm down and sit back." 

Wendy obeyed. She felt like wanting to slap herself mentally. Just earlier she said she did not want to over react and here she was.

"Sorry." She cleared her throat.

"So.. like I said earlier. The reason why I told you that she's not in a perfect health, mentally and emotionally is because of that. She's still unsure whether she wanted the baby or not. Especially that the asshole father made it clear that he does not want the baby at all."

"That's a real asshole. Damn it." 

"I know right?"

"So what should we do?" 

"What I'm doing recently is persuading Irene NOT to do abortion. I'm explaining that it might traumatize her and that I'll just always be here for her. Just telling her that we'll be in this together and that I'll help her out no matter what. Somehow it all works fine since it's now 2 weeks but I'm still worried. I cannot leave her alone all by herself."

"And what am I going to do? It's impossible for me to do those things while you're gone. We do not even know each other."

"I'll do the persuading. All I want from you is to look out for her, just check out whether she's fine or still alive of course." Seulgi smiled as she clasped both of Wendy's hands to hers. Hey eyes were pleading at the same time showing gratefulness.

"O-okay. I'll see what I can do." Wendy finally agreeing. And when she thought her weeks would be boring following her resignation from her job, here she was doing something out of the ordinary. Helping out a neighbor. She wonders what will become the outcome of this. But all her doubts and anxiety went away as she looked at Seulgi back with a bright smile as she genuinely show her gratitude.

"Thank you, Wendy."